Probably almost every human being has at least once in their life experienced a sun burn.

What starts as a pleasant lying on the beach, working in the garden or staying out in the soothing warm rays of the sun can in a few hours turn into an unpleasant and painful burn of the skin.

The first sensation of sunburn can start anywhere from 30 minutes after the exposure to the UVA and/or UVB rays and up to 6 hours after. The most unpleasant sensations are usually noted in 12 to 24 hours after the exposure.

So what is sunburn? Sunburn is a skin damage that happens due to that at some point our skin cells – melanocytes – ceased to produce enough of the melanin pigment needed to protect the skin from the UVA and/or UVB rays. Just like any skin burn, sunburn manifests as an irritation of the skin and a skin damage of various degrees. It may be a slightly painful reddening of the skin or extremely painful water blisters on the skin.

Other common symptoms of severe sunburn may include dehydration, chills, fever, and nausea.

Sun in moderation is very beneficial for the skin of a human. Sun helps to form Vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D participates in the growth and the regeneration of the cells. Scientists have proven that prolonged deficiency of the Vitamin D can actually cause the development of a skin cancer.

Sun in moderation is a great way for people with psoriasis to temporarily get rid of their psoriatic lesions, due to that the sun rays suppresses the inflammatory activity of the T-cells in people with psoriasis.

We know that prolonged deficiency of the sun can cause skin cancer, but what about an excessive exposure to the sun resulting in sunburn? The thing is that excessive sun causes negative changes to the DNA (carrier of the molecular information), and these changes can also cause a skin cancer.

There are 3 types of the ultraviolet radiation: UVA, UVB and UVC. The UVC radiation of the sun is mostly stopped by the ozone layer of the atmosphere and therefore does not reach us. UVC radiation is also practically not used in the tanning beds, neither regular nor special tanning beds for psoriasis.

UVB rays, similar to the UVB rays of the sun are often used in a special tanning unit for treating psoriasis. With the lack of a natural sun people with psoriasis often use such UVB units.

UVA rays, similar to those in the sun are often used in the regular tanning units. People without psoriasis in the winter months may indulge in visiting such solarium.

In each of these cases – tanning in the sun, tanning on a regular tanning bed or tanning on a special tanning bed for psoriasis – there is a risk of developing sunburn.

Sunburn is even more negative for people with psoriasis due to the so-called Koebner effect – the appearance of the new psoriatic lesions on the spots of the skin trauma.

What to do? Just like with anything, sun tanning has to be done in moderation. Moderate beneficial UV exposure should not turn into a negative excessive exposure.

Wise thing to do is to suntan carefully and for a short period of time, especially in the beginning. Depending on your skin type and color you may be able to suntan for longer or shorter amounts of time.

I hope this psoriasis article helps

People with psoriasis enjoy sun tanning just as much as people without psoriasis, and usually even more. Not only the sun gives your skin a nice golden color but if you have psoriasis – the sun also helps you to temporarily get rid of your psoriatic plaques.

Some of us are lucky enough to live in the areas with a constant summer (Southern California, Southern Florida etc.). But the majority enjoys the sun only in the summer months. Some people with psoriasis not only take frequent vacations to the places with a warm climate, but even try to relocate there in order to keep their psoriasis in check.

Unfortunately, this does not pertain to the people with the summer type of psoriasis. The sun actually aggravates the state of their skin and psoriasis.

But what exactly is a suntan? Suntan is the reaction of the skin to the sun. Our skin tries to protect itself from the excessive sun rays by starting to produce more of the melanin pigment. The pigment melanin gives the skin its nuance – pink, brown etc. People with darker skin are better protected from the sun. They usually develop a nice even suntan. People with a fair skin, instead of an even suntan may develop sunburns and uneven pigmentation. This is due to that their skin does not produce enough of melanin to protect itself.

After stopping the exposure to the UV rays, the skin stops producing excessive melanin and returns to its usual color.

Excessive sun causes damages, starting with painful blisters and premature skin aging, and including melanoma – skin cancer.

It is a fact that people with the winter type of psoriasis can temporary get rid of their plaques with a regular timed exposure to the sun rays. But why does this happen? The thing is that the sun rays exterminate the excessive T-cells in the skin. And the T-cells of people with psoriasis are one of the culprits of psoriatic plaques. Furthermore, the remaining T-cells lose their ability to express the IFN-gamma cytokines, which play a big role in the inflammatory processes.

Does it make sense to suntan in order to get rid of psoriasis? I believe that it does. The benefits in this case outweigh the negative side-effects.

Most celebrities and other public people maintain their skin with a bronze hue year round. Why do they do it? Because tanned skin usually looks more smooth and healthy and shows less imperfections than pale skin. Don’t they know about the adverse side effects of constantly subjecting their skin to the UV rays? I believe that they do. But their looks are much more important for them as it directly contributes to their public image, fame and therefore profits.

People with psoriasis suffer from the unpleasant external manifestations of psoriasis. Will getting rid of these manifestations outweigh the side-effects such as premature skin aging? I believe so.

Simply try to be careful with sun tanning. Start to tan with short periods. Keep a record of how long you suntan in order not to burn. Moisturize your skin after each sun tanning. You may also want to see your dermatologist in order to start regularly monitoring the state of your skin while you are sun tanning.

I hope this psoriasis article helps

Any bacteria do not cause psoriasis. No virus or fungus causes it. It is not a contagious disease. There is nothing but body that decides if you will get psoriasis or not. A gene is responsible for psoriasis. Those who have that gene may get psoriasis if it is triggered.

Psoriasis – common triggers

The common triggers of psoriasis are sunburn, stress, skin injury, some medications, infections, smoking, drinking, and change in weather. Any of these can trigger psoriasis in a person who has the faulty gene. The gene makes skin act abnormally. Again it is not necessary that every time the triggers will work. Sometimes they don’t while sometimes a small trigger flares up psoriasis. Talking about the gene, not all siblings get psoriasis. It can be hereditary many times. As we discussed, for getting psoriasis you need a faulty gene and a trigger. Many healthy persons who show no sign of psoriasis sometimes get a small injury and the skin does not heal. After some days, the doctors find out that the person has psoriasis, which is not allowing the skin to heal. The strange behavior of skin at certain places on the body is responsible for psoriasis. Skin misbehaves at the command of a gene. Let us see how skin acts differently in psoriasis.

Psoriasis – skin action in psoriasis

In our skin the bottom layer produces new cells. These new cells take up to a month to travel to the top and the dead cells from the top are shed off. We can say that the skin renews itself every month. What skin cells you have today are not those you were born with. Old cells die and new cells are born. That way our whole body renews itself. In psoriasis skin, the speed at which skin brings up the new cells and sheds the old increases many fold. The cells are shed every third or fourth day instead of a month. This creates the red patches, flakes and itching. The skin misbehaves at the command of a gene.
Every treatment aims towards providing relief to itching, removing the flakes and slowing down the process of skin cells coming up. To learn more about how psoriasis is treated, please click here- Psoriasis: Treatment

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.

Related links :-
1- Psoriasis: Types
2- Psoriasis: Causes

I hope this psoriasis article helps